How to pronounce pound
Say it like POWND. Pound is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce pound. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- POWND
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Pound pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- POWNDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of pound
American and British speakers say pound in essentially the same way: /paʊnd/ in the US and /paʊnd/ in the UK.
British respelling: POWND.
What does pound mean?
- hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument“the salesman pounded the door knocker”“a bible-thumping Southern Baptist”
- strike or drive against with a heavy impact“ram the gate with a sledgehammer”“pound on the door”
- move heavily or clumsily“The heavy man lumbered across the room”
- 16 ounces avoirdupois“he got a hernia when he tried to lift 100 pounds”
- the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
- a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy
Where does pound come from?
Cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish pund.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with pound
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of pound.
Words that sound like pound
Questions about saying pound
How do you pronounce pound?
Say POWND. The American pronunciation is /paʊnd/. In British English it is /paʊnd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in pound?
Pound is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: POWND.
Do Americans and Brits say pound the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /paʊnd/ and the British form is /paʊnd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as pound?
Pound sounds the same as lb in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.